Roam by Alan Lazar

I sure do loves me a book about a pup and this one is no exception.

Roam is a book about Nelson - a sweet pup of mixed descent:  part beagle, part poodle.  Nelson's existence came about by accident when a breeder of poodles and beagles accidentally breeds a mixed bag of pups.  So really, Nelson, in a pure-bred world should never have been.  Nelson, however, proves to be something special and at the ripe old puppy age of nearly 3 months, he is adopted by Katey and Don.  Katey proves to be Nelson's "Great Love" and his life and happiness revolves around her.  One day, however, Don accidentally leaves the gate open and Nelson, overwhelmed by the smells that surround him and beg to be investigated, is compelled to seek out their true existence.  What follows is Nelson's 8-year journey to return to his Great Love.  It is filled with love, discovery, fear, loss and hope.

I have to say that there were times when I didn't want to pick this book up to keep reading because I was so afraid of bad things happening.  But, I shouldn't have questioned Aunt Kathleen's recommendation and I should have known that she wouldn't steer me wrong.  Everything scary in this book only leads to something good.  And everything that Nelson is forced to endure only gets him closer to his goal and happiness.  It was such a heart-warming book with such great insight as to what dogs must think.  In fact, as I read this book I kept looking at my pups and wondered if I was each of their Great Loves.  I think for sure I'm Zeke's because I've had him since a pup and he's known no one else but I wonder about Bubba and Sami.  I don't know for sure, since they were both rescued on the streets, that there wasn't someone before me that they still long for.  I can't imagine that they aren't happy with me and would rather be with someone else especially the way they greet me when I come home (even if I've just been outside working on the lawn).  But I guess the point of Roam is that a dog may have just one Great Love but they can still love many and be happy with those other people because they have so much love to give.

Read this book and don't be afraid of a bad ending...it isn't there...BUT you will cry...for joy.

I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson

I loves me a book with a dog in it.  And this one was no exception (thank you Aunt Kathleen).

So, I Thought You Were Dead centers around Paul Gustavson.  Paul is sort of a pitiful character:  He doesn't seem to have a "real" job, although he is a writer.  His wife left him.  His father recently had a stroke.  His girlfriend is dating another man (and is rather open and honest that she can't decide who she wants to be with).  Paul can't "get it up"; he drinks too much and oh, I could go on but I'm getting depressed typing this and I think you get the gist. On the bright side of everything Paul has an awesome dog named Stella.  Interestingly, Stella and Paul can communicate with each other.  For Paul, Stella is his sounding board, his confidant and his best friend (and he is that to her as well). Stella gives Paul a compassionate ear, listening to all his complaints and gives him better advice as an unbiased pup than any human could probably manage.  She helps him stumble through the hardships of his life and in return, he gives her the greatest gift a human could give to his canine companion: love, a soft lap to lay her head, walks, all the basic needs that could be imagined and a gentle hand.

Definitely read this book...I loved it...I loved Stella and though at times I wanted to enter the book so I could punch Paul in the face, I loved Paul.  For all his faults, he's just a man going through a hard time and we've all had those moments.  And like Paul, I hope to always have a pup (or two or three) to help me get through like Stella did.  Can't wait to read the next dog book that Aunt Kathleen gave to me.

Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee

You know I loves me a story with a dog in it.  Especially one where the dog is trying desperately to communicate with his human because he’s been reincarnated.  Have I sparked your interest yet? 

So, the synopsis:  Sandy Portman, at first seems to be a man with it all:  Career, money, loving wife whom he loves (supposedly).  And then we get to see beyond his cover and what’s inside is sort of hideous.  Here’s a man who has it all and doesn’t really deserve it.  Enter karma.  On a nasty New York night, it all comes to a head for Sandy when he dies tragically in an accident while on his way to meet his wife Emily (to tell an unsuspecting and devoted wife that he wants a divorce).  Obviously, Emily’s life is turned upside-down when she discovers she’s about to be evicted from her husband’s family’s apartment and her husband was the epitome of scum.  Through it all, however, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein.  What she doesn’t realize is her new best friend is really her husband, sent back to make amends. 

I really liked this book.  Sandy was definitely a putz but as a dog, it was sometimes hard to hate him.  This was a solid, feel-good book – perfect for an easy summer read.  Recommended:  Yes!

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas

My latest is a memoir...another memoir.  I don't know why I don't read more memoirs because I almost always find them fascinating.  Anyway, this one caught my eye because of the dog on the cover.  And then I read the jacket which said:

"When Abigail Thomas's husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his skull was shattered, his brain, severely damaged.  Subject to rages, terrors and hallucinations, he was sent to live in a nursing facility that specializes in treating traumatic brain injuries.  He had no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before.  This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life.  How she built that life is a story of great courage and change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude."

Sounds depressing, right?  Well, parts of it were but the overall message, the overall lesson that Abigail learns when her world is turned upside-down and inside-out is inspiring.  This is a woman who had before thought of in terms of future.  After the accident, however, the future went out the door and her thoughts are stuck in the present.  But truly, the word, "stuck" isn't right because that sounds like she's in a bad place; in a place she isn't happy.  Quite the contrary.  Abigail has learned to be happy again and loves her life, even when it isn't anything like she'd imagined or hoped.  This book was a great lesson on how to overcome those events that some may call a tragedy but others just call life.  You'll read this in a single sitting.

Oh and I also loved the opening quote from Wikipedia that said, "Australian Aborigines slept with their dogs for warmth on cold nights, the coldest being a "three dog night".

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

My latest - oh boy - was such a sweet, hilarious, feel good book.  If you love dogs and have always wanted to know why they do the things they do and what they're thinking - you must read! 

A Dog's Purpose is the story of one dog who lives several lives over several decades all in an effort to find and fulfill his purpose.  The narrator - originally a mutt with no name, then a sweet Golden Retriever named Bailey, a search and rescue dog named Ellie and finally a black lab - goes from life to life, learning certain lessons that move him into a more knowledgeable and specific purpose for his next life.  All of his previous experiences prepare him for the next and in the end, his reason for being becomes clear. 

This book made me look at my pups in a different way.  I think Sami may be a new dog - in her first life.  I think she may be the "feral mutt" like the first dog in A Dog's Purpose -  rescued and put into a loving home and family and learning what it means to have that.  I think her next life will allow her to take that and not feel so threatened by every little thing and become a little less psychotic.  Bubba is certainly a new dog too and I think Zekey may be an old soul whose soul purpose is to love and comfort. 

Mom - this is the book you must read!  There isn't anything upsetting that will depress you or tempt you to skip ahead...no difficult scenes.  The only "negative" thing about it may be that you will want to run out to get a pup!  Enjoy!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I am now on to a book that I've been wanting to read since the beginning of summer. I saw this lying around at Raeburn and read the jacket sleeve and was completely intrigued. The book is the story of Edgar Sawtelle (aha!) who was born mute in rural Wisconsin. He can hear perfectly fine and is intelligent but must sign to communicate his own voice. This being said, he leads a worriless life with his mother and father who breed a fictional type dog. Other than that, I will say nothing. I have a feeling what this is leading to but don't want to reveal too much. Oprah has picked this as her next Book Club book and has stated that reading too much of the jacket sleeve gives too much away. Let's just say that being a dog lover, I'm in love with this book. If you connect with dogs at all, this is one that you will surely want to read and then re-read. Part of the book is told from the main dog-character's POV as well. Intriguing. I'm about 100 pages in and feel like I should stop typing right now so I can go read. However, I want to read it slowly to soak up its awesomeness. Which I will go do right now. I'll let you know.

Update:  I really loved it. I won't say much more about it because Jane is still reading it and I know Maggie is probably in the midst as well. All I will say is that for anyone who loves, even likes dogs, they should read this. It is such a great book about so many things and after you finish reading it, you will keep thinking about it. I keep recapping so many things and realizing so many things. Why certain things happened and understanding why the author must have done what he did. Read it. You'll understand.

The Art of Racing In the Rain by Garth Stein

So now I am onto my next book (see title), a novel highly recommended by my Aunt Kathleen. My mom was actually getting set to read this as well but upon initially picking it up and reading the first 2 or 3 pages, she had to put it down again, thinking she couldn't handle it. The book is about Enzo, a lab terrier mix, living in Seattle with his family and is told through his eyes, in his voice. The novel starts with him at the end of his life (this is why Mom had a hard time but once past the first few pages, it isn't about him dying - at least not yet) and reflects back on the years he spent with his original owner, Denny, and eventually Denny's wife, Eve and their daughter Zoe. One of the reasons that I love this book already is that it makes me think about the things I say to my sweet puppies and what they hear/understand. For example, I usually try and keep them in the dark about when I'm going away for a few days but seeing how that has thrown Enzo off and left him feeling depressed and left out, I feel like I should explain to them from now on. I know that this is a book of fiction, but it really reinforces what I already believed about my dogs: That they understand much more than we give them credit for and they definitely understand more about us, their "owners" than we can ever imagine. If you are a dog lover - or even a dog liker, you should certainly read this book.

Update:  Alright! I finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein last night. It was very good. I loved getting a glimpse of what my sweet pups may be thinking. Yes, I know that it's a piece of fiction but as a dog lover, it's nice to think that my pups love me as much as I love them and think about me all the time. The book really revolved around the circumstances in Denny's life after his wife dies (this isn't a "spoiler" - you learn that she is gone within the first few pages). I loved the ending though, of course, I cried like a baby. A definite "must read" for anyone who loves a dog.